Fire-truck signal.



115,889,690. P ATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

J. KBNLON.

FIRE TRUCK SIGNAL.

APPLIUATION 11mm) AUGxzz, 19o?.

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.TOHN KENLON, OF NEW YORK, NJQY.

FIRE-TRUCK SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed August 22, 1907. Serial No. 389,668.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN KENLON, a citizen ofthe United States., and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Truck Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to fire truck signals, and the object of the invention is to provide a signal apparatus to be used on a fire truck so as to facilitate the control of the truck by the driver and tillerman.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a signal apparatus which will indicate to the tillerman when the driver has 'seated himself, and which will indicate to the driver when the tillerman has seated himself.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters or reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing diagrammatically a lire truck provided with my signal apparatus g and Fig. 2 is a plan of the fire truck and signal apparatus shown in Fig. 1; this view is also diagrammatic.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the body of the truck, which may be of any usual construction. The truck to which I have shown my invention applied, is provided with the usual turn-table 2 over the forward wheels 3 to which the ladder 4 is pivotally attached. Forward of the turn table 2, the drivers seat 5 is mounted, the same being normally held in an elevated position by means of springs 6 arranged below the seat, as indicated. This seat is provided with a downwardly projecting contact plug 7 which is adapted to close the circuit 3 by bridging the contact plates 9. This circuit 8 I shall call the drivers circuit because it is normally closedl by the driver. This circuit includes a source of current, such as the battery 10, placed at any convenient point on the truck. At the rear end of the truck the wires of the circuit 8 attach to contact plates 11, and these contact plates are arranged just below the ti'llermans seat 12, which seat is pivotally supported at 13. The seat 12 is normally held in a slightly elevated position by means of a spring 14 attached at the pivot point 13. On the under side ofthe seat a contact plug 15 is attached, which is adapted to bridge the contacts 11 when the seat is elevated, the lower part 15 of this plug being metal, while the upper part 15b is insulation.

Near the seat 12 the steering wheel 16 is located. In the circuit 8 at the forward end of the truck, a bell 17 is placed. In order to connect the main portion of the circuit S with the turn-table, the turn-table is providedl with an insulated ring 18, and connection is made from this ring toa fixed base plate 19 by means of suitable spring contact plates 20. The ring 18, in order to prevent the short-circuiting of the different currents, is formed into four sections 21 or quadrants, which are separated by insulation 22 as indicated'in Fig. 2. From this arrangement it will be understood that the circuit 8 will be maintained at the same time, it will permit of the turn-table being swung to the rightor to the left as desired.

In addition to the circuit 8', I provide a circuit 23 which I call the tillermans circuit because it is closed by the depression of the tillermans seat 12. This circuitpasses through an incandescent lam 24. lFrom the turn-table connection is ma e with the main wires of the circuit 23 through spring contact plates 26,similar to the contact plates 20 referred to above. This circuit includes a battery 27 or similar source of current, and at the rear end of the track, the wires of the circuit are attached to contact plates 28. Aplug 30 projects downwardly from the under side of the seat, and from this arrangement it should be understood that when the seat is depressed, the circuit 423 is closed. In the circuit S a switch 8@L is provided as shown, to throw this part of the apparatus out of operation when desired.

The mode of operation of the apparatus,y

contact plug 30 will close the circuit 23 which includes the lamp, and the. driver will then be notified that the tillerman has taken his seat. The absence of such an arrangement as this may cause accidents from the assumption on the part of the driver that the tillerman is ready when he is not so.

While the lamp and the bell are preferably used as described, they may be replaced by other signal devices.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a truck signal apparatus, in combination, a depressible tillermans seat, a depressible drivers seat, an alarm, means for ringing said alarm controlled by said drivers seat,` an annunciator for the driver, and means for operating said annunciator controlled by said tillermans seat.

2. In a truck signal a paratus, in combination, a depressible til ermans seat7 a depressible `drivers seat, means Jfor indicating to the tillerman when the driver is seated, and means for disconnecting said last means controlled by said tillermans seat.

3. In a truck si nal apparatus, in combination, a depressibgle drivers seat, ya depressible tillermans seat, a circuit closed by said drivers seat and inclu ding a signal device for the tillerrnan, a second circuit closed by said tiller'rnans seat, and including a signal device for the driver, and means for breaking said iirst circuit when said tillermans seat is depressed.

4. In a truck signal apparatus, in combination7 a depressibzle drivers seat, a depressible tillermans seat, a circuit closed by the depression of said drivers seat and normally he d closed by said tillermans seat, an alarm included in said circuit, means for breaking said circuit bythe depressing of said tillermans seat, a second circuit controlled at said tillerrnans seat7 and including an annunciator for the driver.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN KENLON.

Witnesses:

W. W. HOLT, JOHN P. DAvIs. 

